Exsanguinate
by Onesmartcookie78
Summary: She's Zero's jailer, for all intents and purposes. Her job is to control him—but how can she when, lately, she can't even seem to control herself? Or: Kaien Cross probably should have called the Hunter's Association when Zero started to succumb to blood lust rather than appointing Yuuki as his tamer. Zero/OC, Yuuki/Kaname. Rating subject to change.
1. Chapter 1

**Exsanguinate  
**

**Onesmartcookie78**

**Summary: **She's Zero's jailer, for all intents and purposes. Her job is to control him—but how can she when, lately, she can't even seem to control herself? Or: Kaien Cross probably should have called the Hunter's Association when Zero started to succumb to blood lust rather than appointing Yuuki as his tamer. Zero/OC, Yuuki/Kaname

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters associated with the franchise. This work is purely fictional. Any events that parallel real life events or people are coincidental. I do, however, own my original characters, so don't steal them.

* * *

**Chapter I**

I lie panting. I'm sore and thirsty and every other breath is a cough as my weak lungs struggle to pull in air.

"Suzume." Her voice is sharp, a warning.

I _ache_. This time when I cough, it devolves into a fit that worsens my wheezing and has me spitting up yellow phlegm.

"_Suzume."_ Her next iteration of my name carries a threat as she cracks the bo staff she wields near my head.

Phlegm turns to blood.

"Suzume." This time my name is a sigh. She hastily pulls me to my feet, her normally tight bun in disarray from exertion, purple-gray hair that's streaked with silver spilling loose down to her navel. Her other hand drops the staff and catches me against her as I collapse.

She helps me inside, not complaining, not even when blood splatters against the pale pink of her kimono. She sits me down at the island and fixes me a glass of water. Then she pulls out the blender—a protein shake is in order.

I choke down the water and then accept the inhaler that she passes me. Only when she's peeling a banana do I feel like I can breathe again.

"It's getting worse," Grandmother says, her light green eyes boring into me from across the counter.

I let out a chuckle, and I'm not so delusional as to think it doesn't sound hoarse. The taste of copper lingers in my throat. "I know," I mutter, playing with the inhaler. I'm staring at my hands, avoiding her gaze when I say, "I need the transplant."

She slams the yogurt container onto the counter. "I know."

"Grandmother I—"

I'm interrupted by the ring of the landline and she quickly excuses herself to answer it.

With a sigh, I take helm on the smoothie. All that's left is the beet juice. I open the fridge and grab the bottle, pouring a quarter of a cup or so into the mixture. The juice is concentrated, viscous, and it slides from its container with a little coaxing. It doesn't help that we're at the end of the bottle. I tap the bottom to get as much out of it as I can, and I'm overwhelmed with the smell and taste of pennies once more.

The experience is so disorienting and sudden that the bottle falls from my hands and shatters on the tile as I convulse over the sink basin, coughing, convinced I'm about to throw up.

"Suzu—oh my, are you—"

Blood. There's blood all over my hands because I've been coughing into them.

Wordlessly, Grandmother tucks my hair behind my ears and moves my water and the inhaler closer to me. She works on the cleanup while I work on pulling myself together. She's pulsing the shake when I finally manage to, and she wordlessly slides me a glass after I've sat down.

Despite the odd combination of ingredients, the shake goes down smooth, and the cold soothes my throat. I don't feel better, per say, but it satisfies me for now.

"Who called?" I ask as I tip back the dredges of the drink.

"Cross," she answers cautiously. She's on the verge right now, teetering ponderously on the precipice of something that's either absolutely genius or completely stupid. It's the same look she got when she suggested beet juice and bananas and, even more worrisome, the same look she got before accidentally sending my parents to their death.

My eyebrows rise of their own accord. "Interesting," I intone. "I thought he was done with us since he opened the school. Isn't he all about coexistence or something now?"

"A pipe dream," Grandmother agrees with a dismissive wave of her hand. "You and I know better than anyone the damage a pureblood can do, let alone a Level E."

I toy with the ring that weighs heavily on my index finger and clear my throat. "What did he need then?"

"Kiryuu Zero." Her reply lacks spite, but her eyes don't.

I feel frozen. "Oh?" I try to maintain a casual tone and fail.

"Control, Suzume," she says, whipping a fan from her sleeve and nearly swatting one of my hands. Her eyes linger on the space my hands had been occupying only a fraction of a second previously, and her lips curl into a half smile. "He's falling to Level E," she finishes, and despite everything, my stomach drops to my feet.

I'm silent for a moment. "'Falling'. He's in the process of becoming a Level E. He's still fighting."

She nods once, and the fan snaps open almost faster than I can register, concealing the lower half of her face. Even still, I can tell that my observation pleases her. "Indeed. And he needs a jailer."

Even though it's something I thought I'd long since forgotten, the image of the tattoo etched into the delicate skin of his neck flares to life in my mind. I haven't seen Zero since—

"He wants you."

I snap back into focus faster than her fan, and it whizzes by my left ear before I can even realize I've dodged it. "Zero or Cross?"

Her brows lift. "I suppose you'll have to find that out for yourself." She straightens to her full height, resolved, and I tip my head in reverence. "As President of the Hunter's Association, I am assigning you to tame Kiryuu Zero at Cross Academy, preventing him from spilling any human blood. You will pose as a student of the Day Class and act as a member of the Disciplinary Committee. You leave tomorrow morning."

"Hai, kaicho-sama."

And with that, my fate was sealed.


	2. Chapter 2

**Exsanguinate**

**Onesmartcookie78**

**Summary: **She's Zero's jailer, for all intents and purposes. Her job is to control him—but how can she when, lately, she can't even seem to control herself? Or: Kaien Cross probably should have called the Hunter's Association when Zero started to succumb to bloodlust rather than appointing Yuuki as his tamer. Zero/OC, Yuuki/Kaname

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters associated with the franchise. This work is purely fictional. Any events that parallel real life events or people are coincidental. I do, however, own my original characters, so don't steal them.

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who followed and favorited! If you like my content, please be sure to comment-I love feedback, and it would be great to hear what you think of Suzume and some of the changes to canon. That said, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter II**

Zero isn't happy to see me. It's not as though _I'm_ particularly excited to see him either, but at least Cross isn't shooting me _play nice_ looks every few seconds. To be fair, anger clenches in the pit of my stomach, quelled only by the knowledge that _it wasn't him, it was someone a little more sickly, a little more frail, but someone with the same face nonetheless._

Now when I look at him, all I can hear is Grandmother's voice, the agony with which she delivered the message that my parents had been killed by Shizuka Hio. Before, I might have remembered the rare occasions when I'd made him and his brother laugh and smile; I might have recalled wrestling in the sunlight and learning how to shoot together.

Presently, we teeter on the precipice of hatred. Grandmother blames him and his brother, I try not to, and we all suffer for it. I think, on some level, he blames himself too.

Plus, he's a vampire. His very existence is unsettling, _unnatural_, to Hunters. I try not to let that feeling of wrongness overwhelm me, but the longer I sit next to him at Cross's desk, the harder it becomes to avoid fidgeting in discomfort. I settle with staring into the fire which crackles and pops behind Cross. If Zero can tolerate his two identities as a Hunter and a vampire, then so too should I…even if it goes against protocol coded into my very DNA.

For his part, Zero affects a demeanor of disinterest, punctuated only occasionally with mild irritation, but that might be owed to Cross referring to him as "son".

"I believe you two are acquainted already?" Cross asks, finally succumbing to the seriousness of the situation. Light bounces off his glasses as he adjusts them, temporarily obscuring his eyes. He doesn't wait for either of us to answer what is clearly a cursory rhetorical question, meant only to serve as a polite segue. "As we all know, the tattoo suppresses Zero-kun's vampiric nature and has been used by the Association to leash Level D vampires for centuries. Will you agree to prevent Zero-kun from feeding on human blood, Suzume-chan?"

I bite my tongue to prevent myself from objecting to the familiarity of his honorifics. "If that's what Kiryuu-san wants," I say instead, "and if not what he _wants_ per se, then what you think is necessary, Cross-sama."

I say this out of courtesy, even though we all must know that I've been appointed to this position by the President of the Hunter's Association. Part of me wishes it were easy renege this mission, to tell Grandmother that I'm just not the right Hunter to tame my former friend, but that's not the way things work. When Grandmother says to jump, you can ask "how high?" But when it's the President issuing commands, you don't question—you simply do, to the best of your ability, and you don't stop until she says.

Cross looks at Zero. Despite the latter's best efforts, I can tell that his hands are balled into fists just out of my sight under the edge of the desk. He says nothing, even though, as of yesterday, I'd been sure that he would object. I should have expected this. Of _course_ he doesn't want to drink blood. Vampires took _everything_ from him. And, while he might not appreciate this situation or my sacrifice, he trusts me enough to know that I won't let him do the same…

_That I'll kill him if he even tries._

Realization sparks, and my stomach lurches.

_It's not that he tolerates his vampiric side—it's that he hates it, and he's accepted that the only way he can live with himself…is to die. _

I snap back into focus when Cross claps his hands together. He must have taken the lack of response to mean that Zero does not, in fact, object. Nevertheless, this is simultaneously a declaration that he believes this to be the best course of action. He slides a bracelet across the rich mahogany surface, and I recognize the symbol immediately; it's the same symbol inscribed into my ring, the same symbol that constitutes Zero's tattoo. The symbol of the Hunter's Association.

We don't require instruction—something within us knows what to do, despite never having done so previously.

We rise in unspoken unison, and before I can even register that I've done so, I've drawn my favorite knife and presented it to Zero. Is it an offering of peace, or a reminder of what will come with failure? His fingers don't so much as brush mine as he takes the knife, but his eyes finally meet my own, lilac clashing with jade for only a second before he's pricking his finger and dripping a drop of blood on the rune. I'm mesmerized as it seeps into the charm, and something in me aches when I catch his gaze again.

Like magnets, we draw closer, the ancient magic that now binds us urging the completion of the ritual. The charm presses against the tattoo and magic explodes around us, knocking Zero clean off his feet and pinning him in place with glowing red kunai.

It sends me reeling and my lungs can't keep up with the mystical smoke that follows. I land on my hands and knees, coughing violently while Zero groans in pain beside me. Cross helpfully assists me to my feet and presses a handkerchief to my mouth. When I can muster to the strength to take it from him, he examines Zero.

The white fabric comes away soaked red and I don't have to look at Zero to know that the smell must be causing him agony. I can half-hear his sharp inhales over the sound of my own.

We wait until I can breathe again to release him. My throat burns, raw from the coughing, and the taste of pennies lingers on my tongue regardless of how much water I drink.

Cross passes Zero blood tablets, but the three of us know that they're a poor substitute and will do little to quench his thirst. Only Shizuka Hio's blood can save him.

"This was Kaname-kun's mandate," Cross admits. "For Zero-kun to remain in the Day Class, he must be tamed; this is the agreement Kaname-kun reached with Yuuki-chan."

I can't stop the resentment from bubbling up as much as I might try. I toss the handkerchief into the roaring fire and settle down next to Zero once more.

_Of course_ she's involved. She gave him blood, she helped him down this path where the only choice that remains is insanity and ruination and death. She willingly fed a vampire her blood, and the thought might disturb me if it were anyone other than Zero. He doesn't deserve the hand he's been dealt but even still, succumbing to bloodlust is not the answer.

Not for the first time, I wonder about this girl. Cross's daughter when he's never had a wife or a known lover. Where did she come from, I wonder? How did she find him? Who is she that she holds sway with Kaname Kuran, enough to convince him that, despite Zero's awakening, he should remain in the Day Class?

"Now, I'm sure your grandmother has informed you that you will be attending all of Zero's classes and assuming a position on the Disciplinary Committee with Zero-kun and Yuuki-chan, yes?"

I ignore the fact that he doesn't call Grandmother by her title, and nod tightly in reply. "Of course, Cross-sama. Additionally, I would like to request a shared suite."

Cross blinks in surprise. "Suzume-chan, it would be improper for you to stay in the same room as Zero-kun but I'm sure—"

On this matter, I refuse to budge. "Propriety isn't in question, Cross-sama, but human lives could be. I need constant access to Kiryuu-san."

_And if I must wear this obscenely short skirt, this is the least you could do for me in return._

If Zero cares about the suggested violation of his own personal freedom and space, he says nothing. He really is committed. As much as I want to admire his guilt and shame, his compliance, my heart feels heavy at the thought.

_He doesn't deserve this._

_And because of that, I'll do everything I can to protect him from the judgement that's to be dealt by my own hand._

Cross must see the determination in my eyes, because he relents with a solemn tip of his head. "Of course, Suzume-chan. But," he pauses for dramatic effect, and with his hands steepled and brows drawn, he looks serious, but it's all ruined when he finishes, "only if you call me dad! The only way we could allow you to stay with a boy would be if you stayed in the Headmaster's Wing, so from now on, we're family!"

I want to snap. I want to demand an apology, to shout at him. I already _had _a father, parents who loved me, parents who cared about me. Now all I have is Grandmother, this ring, and my memories; and even those are marred by their deaths. Worse still, Cross _knows_ this, knows my past and what happened to my parents. Knows about Zero's, too. And yet, he has the audacity to ask us to call him _dad_.

Internally, I seethe. If I had been trained differently, I might have even done so out loud. My brow may twitch, but other than that, my expression is carefully blank. Grandmother would be proud. "Respectfully, I will not." I rise to my feet and smooth down the front of my skirt. "The Hunter's Association appreciates your cooperation, Cross-sama, Kiryuu-san. Now, shall we head to class, or is there enough time to show me to my room?"

Cross sweat-drops, but stands nonetheless. "Ah, of course, Suzume-chan. Class will start at eight, so there's enough time to drop off your things, and I'll personally take care of moving Zero's while you're both in class."

Zero's own chair scrapes back with some reluctance. I might have left him in Cross's office, might have given him a little more room, given that he seems to be treating this sentence like a well-deserved march to his death, but as much as he might dislike being monitored, he doesn't trust himself. He follows willingly.

_And somehow, that makes this situation so much worse._

Cross leads us out of his office and into his living space, which he currently shares with his "children". Three of the doors lead to their rooms and a fourth to the bathroom. As I know from this morning, the remaining door leads to the hallway. Cross leads us out of his suite and then past a few more rooms until we reach what seems to be an open double with a small kitchen and a door that presumably leads to a bathroom. There are two desks (complete with uncomfortable-looking chairs), two dressers, and a small table for meals, at which there are two even _more _uncomfortable looking chairs (how is this possible?). The walls and floor are bare, exposing cold gray stone. The only color comes from the deep red curtains and duvets.

It's depressing, but it suits our needs.

Besides, it's not like I have any personal items to begin with. Being at this school is the closest I've come to being exposed to any kind of pop culture in nearly four years, and I don't exactly have photos of friends to hang up. The photos I do have of my family are stored away carefully at Grandmother's, slipped neatly into frames and photo albums which remain flipped over and closed, respectively—it's still too painful for us to see them.

I leave my things on one side of the room and ascertain that everything is in place in my backpack. Cross excuses himself from the room—_our _new room—and then Zero and I are finally alone.

I search for something to say. Something better then _so it's been a while, how are you? _

"Do you have everything you need for class?" I try. It's a nice, neutral question, and I adjust the sleeves of my blazer and check my watch as I wait for him to reply. It's still only 7:45 am, but I have no idea of where the classrooms are. Ideally, I'd like to leave now, but too many things are up in the air, too many things are left unsaid. When I look up, silver hair is hanging in front of lilac eyes, his head bowed as he examines dull stone.

_I shouldn't have tried to say anything. I should have waited for him to come to me._

But hadn't I thought he would eventually come to me before? Hadn't I thought that he would try to reconnect? That his trauma was so much worse than mine, and that his lack of response to any of my letters would end when he was ready?

_And he never did._

_But then, hadn't I given up on him, too?_

_I could just as easily have written him. Maybe, all along, he was waiting for me._

_Because, even after all this time, he still feels guilty._

I look back to my watch. "Zero, I—"

He cuts me off sharply. "Don't."

I barrel on regardless. "Despite the circumstances, I am happy to see you again. If there's one thing you should never doubt, it's my sincerity."

When I glance up again, I see that he's turned his back on me. "If that's true…there's only one promise you need to keep." His hand rests on the doorknob, head turned slightly to the side, not quite looking over his shoulder. Even though he isn't really meeting my eyes, he's still so much more vulnerable in this moment than he's been all morning.

I swallow and taste pennies once more. This time, it's because I've bit my lip. As quickly as I dare, I move closer, forcing myself not to hesitate as I place my hand on his shoulder. "If nothing else, you can trust me with this."

Zero lets out a shuttering breath that's full of more self-loathing than I ever could have imagined. He pulls open the door, a nonverbal cue that this conversation is over. "Let's go to class."

His dismissal stings like rejection and I'm not sure why.

But if Yuuki Cross can convince someone who fully despises what he's become to commit the ultimate sin of our kind, then there's no reason why I shouldn't be able to get him to talk to me eventually.

_After all, we're bound now until death do us part._


	3. Chapter 3

**Exsanguinate**

**Onesmartcookie78**

**Summary: **She's Zero's jailer, for all intents and purposes. Her job is to control him—but how can she when, lately, she can't even seem to control herself? Or: Kaien Cross probably should have called the Hunter's Association when Zero started to succumb to bloodlust rather than appointing Yuuki as his tamer. Zero/OC, Yuuki/Kaname

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters associated with the franchise. This work is purely fictional. Any events that parallel real life events or people are coincidental. I do, however, own my original characters, so don't steal them.

**A/N:** Thanks to everyone who has favorited and followed! I wasn't expecting this story to get much of a response at all really, since the anime is so old at this point, so it means a lot to me.

...though, it would mean more if I got a few more reviews ;)

I don't like to hold chapters hostage, but at the same time, who can deny that receiving extrinsic affirmation increases intrinsic motivation?

Enjoy this chapter, lovelies!

* * *

**Chapter III**

I follow Zero listlessly down the hallway, doing my best to memorize every detail: how many doors there are, the windows, the best places to hide, and what might make a decent makeshift weapon. It's standard practice for me at this point, and I can almost hear Grandmother's voice, her questions whispered in both English and Japanese as we go about our errands, quizzing me on the people we pass. What are they doing? What are their motivations? Do any of the shoppers know one another?

My heart and throat clench at the same time and I have to rest against the wall as I struggle to contain my coughing.

Zero freezes just ahead of me. I can only imagine that he's anticipating the smell of copper—or, more accurately, dreading it.

I recover more quickly than earlier this morning and am surprised when Zero waits for me to reach him before continuing on. Considering he'd outpaced me the second we'd left our room, it's a welcome change for him to tolerate me at his side, let alone to match my pace down to the footfall. I'm more grateful for this allowance than I care to admit; incongruous to my position, physical activity is difficult, and the more I can do to limit it, the less likely it is that I'll have an attack.

"You're still sick," Zero finally comments, voice quiet.

I had wondered how long it would take for him to admit his prior connection to me, how long it would be until I told him my condition had worsened, and how much it would hurt to say it out loud. My prognosis was not widespread information amongst Hunters; Grandmother had limited my exposure following the deaths of my parents, and to this day, only a handful of people knew how bad my health had become.

Not for the first time since my arrival, I wonder why Grandmother decided to send me, of all people, here.

And despite expecting his remark, it still catches me off-guard. And it's for that reason that I find myself saying: "I have a year left, at most."

My traitorous mind tricks me into believing that his footsteps have faltered, but he doesn't so much as flinch.

My heart pounds and disappointment physically echoes in my chest. I turn my gaze away, trying to quash the unwelcome feeling.

Zero only grunts.

We must have reached our destination, because he halts so suddenly in front of a door that I nearly crash into his back. I can't help but think that maybe he is worried after all. Why else would he seemingly have forgotten what classroom we were going to until we were directly in front of it? His posture is slightly slumped, almost like he's trying to make himself small, unnoticeable, but the fabric of his blazer stretches over the muscles of his shoulders, highlighting them in a way that I find myself unable to explain. There is nothing about Zero Kiryuu that is inconspicuous—from his hair, to his eyes, to the back I'm currently examining, there is no possible way for anyone to mistake Zero for anything less than extraordinary.

"We have ethics," he says shortly, tipping his head towards classroom 1-A, where the rest of our day will take place.

It's weird to think about being a student, about going back to school. I hadn't been in a classroom since—

_Handsome face, unruly hair, bright blue eyes…_

_Crimson dripping from between his fingers, lone eye now bright in a different way, with tears—_

I wonder if Zero recalls that day, the last time he and I had entered a classroom together oh so very long ago.

I shake myself from the old memories with more difficulty than I would have expected. That day will always be one of my biggest regrets; if I had been able to talk sense into Zero, how would things have been different?

We don't trade our outside shoes for slippers upon entering the classroom. We're to spend the whole day in this room with the teachers cycling in and out, and the very thought of sitting in one place for so long makes me feel cramped and restless. At least I won't have to worry about memorizing the layout of multiple classrooms while I'm here. Even now, the strange juxtaposition of Gothic architecture, Japanese culture, and occasional European customs throws me for a loop.

Everything about this place is dichotomous, and I don't know if I love it or hate it.

_Because it reminds me of my parents._

A dull ache starts behind my eyes as I follow Zero up the tiered seating until we've reached the very back of the lecture hall. Zero situates himself in the left-hand corner, a position from which we can see the whole classroom, including the windows and the door.

It's exactly where I would have chosen to sit, and pride sparks in me: despite what he would have himself believe, Zero's still a Hunter through and through.

I withdraw a notebook from my bag to blend in, even if I don't foresee myself using it, and settle in next to my new companion.

Zero promptly reclines in his chair, resting it and his head back against the wall while his feet cross at the ankle on the table. His position is so practiced that I can only assume that he sleeps through his classes every single day—given his schedule, I can't blame him.

_At least I won't have to worry about him during classes; he can't cause trouble if he's asleep._

…_probably._

I've resigned myself to rubbing the bridge of my nose, hoping the pain in my head will subside, when they walk in.

Zero stirs in his sleep so slightly that I can't help but notice, and I wonder what it is about her, about her _blood_, that is so captivating.

_Yuuki Cross._

Her hair is a soft reddish brown, a near match to her sienna eyes, and something about her is familiar in a way that I can't quite place. Even still, for all I've heard and know about her, she somehow fails to measure up to the image I've unknowingly been forming of her in my head. She's pretty, but in an average way, and she seems completely oblivious to the way Zero's eyes trail her as she enters with her friend. I'm not even looking at him and I can tell that he's perfectly entranced by her every movement.

Unobservant, plain…_boring, one might even say._

She's just a girl.

_And yet, even I can feel that there's something about her. Something…more. Something that irresistibly captures and keeps my attention._

The pounding in my head gets worse as those warm eyes meet my own, and all the sudden I'm hacking uncontrollably, and my throat is _burning_.

A hand falls onto my back, the touch cool even through my shirt, probably because I'm burning up for some reason. I hear a quiet litany of _breathe_ and, when I've finally finished choking down the blood pooling on my tongue, the taste of pennies so overwhelming I'm ready to throw up—and I finally _can_.

"You weren't kidding," Zero says after a few more seconds, during which I can only assume he's gathering his thoughts or waiting for me to start coughing once more—whichever comes first.

I'm not sure how he's only just now getting this, considering all that's happened this morning, but I'm so shocked by the dry humor in his tone, the casual intimacy of his hand lingering between my shoulder blades, that I nearly forget to breathe, never mind having the wherewithal to comment on his change in behavior.

Yuuki is frozen in place, still looking at me—at _us_—and there's something a little pained and a little concerned in her gaze, and I'm not sure what to do with the revelation that she really _does_ care about him as much as he clearly does her.

The doors burst open behind her, and we lose eye contact again as she rushes to her seat.

As he walks through the door, I realize that, despite all the strange things that have happened today, the strangest of them all is currently entering the room.

"_What the fuck?"_ I say in a near whisper.

Handsome face, unruly hair, startlingly blue eye…and a studded leather eye patch with a scar peeking out from either end.

_A flash of red, a pained yell, but not from him, from her, and the three of us just standing there in horror._

_Toga Yagari._

Guilt, shame, irritation and a small dose of happiness rush through me all at once.

_Grandmother doesn't trust me after all._

I don't have to look at Zero to know that he's _surprised-hurt-ashamed_ at Yagari's appearance.

The girls in our class practically flock to our new teacher. I swear I hear one of them asking her friend if she thinks he's single, but all I can wonder is _why_.

_Why doesn't she trust me? Why didn't Cross say anything?_

Yuuki casts another glance at Zero and I as our former mentor introduces himself as a substitute for the day. Somehow, I doubt that he'll be here for that short a time. _Sympathy-solidarity-camaraderie_ pass, unspoken, through Zero and I as I catch his amethyst gaze.

_If he was ever worried that I might hesitate, he should have the complete opposite fear from Yagari. I'm half-surprised that he doesn't shoot Zero here and now. We're all lucky that he has an unvoiced soft spot for him._

It's around when a shameless girl who is definitely underage asks in a shout if Yagari is into younger women that I feel the need to flee. It might have been bearable if it weren't for everyone fawning over him, if it weren't for the fact that I have to keep hearing his voice, _if it weren't for the fact that him being here means that Grandmother never really thought that I would be able to put Zero down if it came to that._

Even still, I force myself to stay seated, but it becomes impossible when one of the girls asks Yagari about the eye patch.

In unpracticed unison, Zero and I rush out of the room.

And all I can think is that this day can't get any worse.

* * *

**A/N**: Thanks to everyone who checks out this chapter!

If you're interested in Tom Holland's Spider-Man, check out my new story, "Tempus Edax Rerum"; it's posted on AO3 under the same username and I've really been enjoying writing it. If you like this style of writing (that is to say, present tense) you'll probably like it, too :)

Out of curiosity, drop a review with your favorite relationship development so far. Do you like how I've written Zero and Suzume's relationship? Do you like the relationship between her and Cross? Her and her Grandmother? Her and Yagari?

...or, even, the relationship between her and Yuuki?

Let me know :)

the relationships between characters and the dialogue that this provokes is one of my favorite parts of writing!


	4. Chapter 4

**Exsanguinate**

**Onesmartcookie78**

**Summary: **She's Zero's jailer, for all intents and purposes. Her job is to control him—but how can she when, lately, she can't even seem to control herself? Or: Kaien Cross probably should have called the Hunter's Association when Zero started to succumb to bloodlust rather than appointing Yuuki as his tamer. Zero/OC, Yuuki/Kaname

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters associated with the franchise. This work is purely fictional. Any events that parallel real life events or people are coincidental. I do, however, own my original characters, so don't steal them.

**A/N: **I can't believe the response this story has been getting! It's crazy, the number of reviews and favorites and follows I've received for this fanfiction—it takes me back to the days when I had over a hundred reviews on an X-Man story I'd been writing. I hadn't thought that I would achieve that again, since I've been writing for archives that are quite frankly old, but here I am!

Feel free to skip the rest of this note, as I'm going to take the time to respond to some reviews here. If I haven't responded to you, it's probably because you didn't ask a question!

Kit: It's only 3 chapters in and this is already looking to be a great story! I'm already invested in this character! Quick question though. Does she have lung cancer or cystic fibrosis or something of the like? Or will it be revealed later?

**Keep reading and see, lol. All you know for now is that she's coughing up blood and needs a lung transplant, but the rest will be revealed later. I like a little mystery, especially since people don't usually come out and say that they're chronically ill—especially as a Hunter, it would be close to taboo to have a debilitating physical illness. The only reason no one gossips about Suzume is because her grandmother is president.**

Yuzukikuran476: Well done with this chapter and I hope that zero can open up to Suzume.

**Zero and Suzume have a very strained relationship, to say the least. Eventually, if only because of their situation, they will be forced to grow closer, but even still, he's in love with Yuuki, and he barely even talks to her. I hope that I can show them growing closer without compromising his characterization!**

**Chapter IV**

Yuuki follows us.

Of course she does.

She's seized Zero's arm and is about to say something to him when the three of us notice Cross stationed knowingly at the gates.

Of course he is. He'd known how Zero and I would react to Yagari showing up with a shoddy excuse in hand about being our substitute. In fact, Cross and Grandmother had arranged the entire situation. The real question was: how long had he known? Had Grandmother called last night to inform Cross of Yagari's cover story, or had this all been cleared with him weeks ago, before I had even been assigned to Zero? The thought makes something inside me _crack_.

Cross, for his part, smiles cutely. "Ah, perfect, I was just going to come get you three. I have an errand for the Disciplinary Committee to run!"

Yuuki looks at me speculatively, gaze falling to the band on my arm, but before she can say anything, I've already sniped, "Coming to get us, huh? From the gates?"

Zero makes a noise of what I assume to be irritated agreement.

Cross' smile barely twitches. He ignores my comment, and launches into a long list, which only Yuuki seems determined to memorize. She looks like she's doing some hard mental math as Cross rambles, and when her russet eyes try to catch mine, I have to look away.

Zero's stare is fixed firmly on the stone pathway throughout the exchange, but when I trade my examination of Yuuki for one of him, he meets me half-way, refusing to back down. There's a challenge in his stare, as if to say _see, they don't trust _either_ of us_.

My hands clench involuntarily, nails biting into the flesh of my palms. Because_ fuck, he's right._

The corner of Zero's mouth twitches infuriatingly. "Tch," he scoffs, burying his hands in his pockets and finally breaking my gaze as though to tell me I've lost our unspoken contest.

"Something wrong, Zero?" Cross asks, and I become aware that the two of them have been watching us watch each other, having wrapped up their own discussion. I tuck a piece of purple-gray hair behind my ear, already feeling flushed with embarrassment.

"No," Zero replies flatly, practically ploughing through Cross to get off school grounds.

"I'm sorry my son is so moody today," Cross apologizes to me, warm honey eyes shadowed behind his glasses. He adjusts them with a finger, and light reflects back at me.

He's not sorry at all.

_And he's still not Zero's father._

"A hug for daddy, Yuuki?" he asks after a beat, opening his arms welcomingly, but she's already passed him, chasing after Zero.

I stare at their forms for a long moment; Zero's, tall and slender, shoulders clad in black when they should be donning white; and Yuuki's, more slight, brown bob bouncing in overcast lighting, everything shiny and bright.

"There's a Level E in town," Cross says as I start after the pair and I pause at his side, catching his eyes. "You're to kill them."

"_Hai_, Cross-san."

I let the two of them wander in front of me. It's only partially because of Zero's supremely negative, well, _everything;_ contrarily, Yuuki is so optimistic she practically glows. It's equally difficult to be around the pair of them when they're like this, Zero trying so hard to retain his bad mood and Yuuki trying so desperately to cheer him up.

So, I let them meander, Yuuki stopping at the small flee market set up in town to browse items. She would stop every now and then and tug on Zero's arm to make him look at an item that's caught her attention—this happens frequently, and I'm not sure if it's because she's easily distracted, or if it's part of her attempt to distract him from this morning. If anything, it seems to irritate Zero more. He seems like he wants to get through the list as quickly as possible and then go home—or at least do whatever it is that he does in his free time.

It also gives me the chance to keep an eye out for the Level E that Cross had warned me about. Every alley we pass, every abandoned building we come across, every passerby I weave around, I'm searching. If the Level E is smart, it'll be close to the town center (and, therefore, its prey) without being so near as to attract unwanted attention. It's significantly less likely that the thing is sane enough to control itself in a crowd of people, but I'm prepared regardless, fingers constantly twitching for my anti-vampire weapon whenever someone steps to close to me.

It's not very challenging to divide my attention between Zero and Yuuki and the rest of the market, considering their slow progress through the throng, but every now and then, I find Yuuki looking back at me, as though she's wondering when I'll join them, when I'll become part of their _Disciplinary Committee Family_.

The thought almost makes me nauseous, but that could just be the lingering taste of copper in my mouth. I could desperately go for some tea.

Luckily, for all her faults, Yuuki seems to be a mind reader.

While Zero hauls a _huge_ package over his shoulder, she catches my eye and gestures towards a small café.

I just raise an eyebrow at her.

She's very nearly pouting when she pushes Zero towards the doors.

Once we're inside, I try and take the booth behind them, but she catches my wrist and shoves me rather assertively towards the wall-seat, taking the outside seat for herself.

Zero orders a plain black coffee and I get a cup of the house blend of tea. It turns out to be oolong, which I'm not particularly fond of, but it's better than the crap that Zero's drinking, so I don't bother complaining. I'm used tea made fresh from Grandmother's garden, flowers and herbs that she's plucked herself just that morning. In other words: I'm spoiled.

"_Itadakimasu!"_ Yuuki says eagerly, picking up her spoon to dig into the ginormous bowl in front of her.

"I wanted salt-ramen," Zero says blandly. He's sitting across from us—no, more like lounging, more relaxed than I've seen him since my arrival—one arm slung casually along the top of the booth, the other bringing his mug of hot coffee to his mouth.

The words seem to physically strike Yuuki, who flinches in response, then begins shoveling ice cream into her mouth at an impressive speed. "I _love_ the sundaes at this shop!" she says defensively. The effect is exacerbated by the bulge of ice cream jutting from her cheeks. "I came with Yori the other day. Oh!" She turns to me. "Yori is my friend, she's in our class. I came in with her to Ethics today." She pauses her frantic eating, her expression careful, like she's about to walk on eggshells and she knows it. "Speaking of which…did you two know that teacher today?"

She waits with bated breath for our replies, and when she glances over at me, her expression becomes apologetic. "Sorry, I didn't even introduce myself. I'm Cross Yuuki." She tilts her head to the side and beams at me, her eyes closing briefly in a friendly gesture of trust. "What's your name?"

Before I can say anything, we're interrupted by a waitress with startlingly blue eyes who wants to know if Zero's in the Night Class. Based on the way his jaw tightens, this isn't about to go over very well.

I tune out the rest of her babbling even as I maneuver over Yuuki, somehow managing to exit the booth at the exact same time as Zero. I nod at him, but he ignores me and heads for the door. His hands are clenched so tightly in his pockets that I can see their outline through the fabric.

He freezes once we're outside, and I'm reminded of just how _difficult_ this is for him. To be surrounded constantly by warm bodies, filled to the bursting with the very substance that's steadily driving him insane. To hear frantic pulses pumping red liquid faster, faster, _faster_ to the heart.

I swallow.

It must be very difficult indeed.

Without warning, Zero takes off at a dead sprint, dropping the packages. I want to curse at him, because running really is my only weakness right now, but I can't, because I'm too busy, y'know, _running._

I track him through alley after alley until we're alone. I'm wheezing and coughing when we've finally come to a stop, and I spit blood on the pavement, uncaring of what it may do to Zero—I have other concerns. My mouth is watering so severely that I'm afraid I might throw up, and my lungs seem to be trying to make an untimely exit from my body.

"You," I pant, "just had to fucking run."

"Go away," comes his cold response.

"I can't. You know I can't. Especially when you're—"

He crosses the distance between us so suddenly that I can't register the movement, just that one second he's twenty feet away from me and the next he's _right there_, my anti-vampire weapon, _Tod_, pressed against the tattoo on his neck.

He freezes, whatever he was about to say getting stuck in his throat.

This time, I very deliberately spit blood on the pavement between us.

His features twist, I curve Tod closer still, and then, just as quickly, his expression shifts to something a little more panicked, a little more _scared._

"Yuuki," he whispers, and then he's gone.

**A/N:** SO funny story, I desperately wanted Suzume's weapon to be called "death" in German, and it just so happened that the translation Google gave me was Tod. I thought this was fittingly hilarious and anti-climactic, so I absolutely _had_ to make it her anti-vampire weapon's name.

Speaking of, does anyone have any guesses as to what her weapon is?


	5. Chapter 5

**Exsanguinate**

**Onesmartcookie78**

**Summary: **She's Zero's jailer, for all intents and purposes. Her job is to control him—but how can she when, lately, she can't even seem to control herself? Or: Kaien Cross probably should have called the Hunter's Association when Zero started to succumb to bloodlust rather than appointing Yuuki as his tamer. Zero/OC, Yuuki/Kaname

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters associated with the franchise. This work is purely fictional. Any events that parallel real life events or people are coincidental. I do, however, own my original characters, so don't steal them.

**A/N: **Thanks so much to everyone who has read and reviewed—the reviews are what keeps me going with this fic, especially since I don't have chapters stockpiled and have instead been writing them whenever inspiration strikes me. It's a lot easier to find inspiration when you have people telling you that your story is great and they're interested in it, so if you have the time to drop a review, please do!

* * *

I arrive at the scene right as a blonde with startlingly green eyes runs through the Level E with his katana. The thing explodes in a shower of ashes which I'm thankfully far enough away from to avoid inhaling.

_Ashes to ashes._

To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement and a misattribution of feelings; no, I'm _pissed_.

First, Grandmother sends me on this mission, next I find out that she's sent Yagari to supervise me, meaning she never trusted me in the first place and now? Now, the one assignment that I did have, my chance to prove that I am competent after all, and it's stolen from me by some nameless aristocrat because Yuuki can't even do her job as a member of the Disciplinary Committee right.

To be fair, I think I would have been equally pissed—if not more so—if Yuuki had been the one to slay the Level E. It probably isn't fair for me to be angry with her specifically, but it's _so hard_ when she looks at Zero the way she does, when she's the one who led him down the same path as a the creature that had been standing in front of us only a few seconds prior.

I return Tod to his incognito form and try not to regard the two aristocrats before me with disdain.

"Suzume," I introduce myself shortly. I don't bother with a last name. It doesn't feel right to give it to _them_ and it doesn't feel necessary either.

Yuuki picks herself up off the ground and bows in turn to the two vampires. "Ichijou-sempai, Shiki-sempai," she says, and their very names leave her mouth coated in more gratitude than I would have thought possible.

The blonde—Ichijou—sheathes his katana. "All done!" he says cheerfully, as though he hadn't just eliminated a sub-human in front of the poor girl.

Despite my misgivings about her, if there is one good thing that I could say about Yuuki Cross, it would be that she is innocent. Pure, even. She's the sort of person who didn't deserve to see or hear or ever even have to speak about evil. She is…good. The revelation surprises me. I'd expected her to be some kind of evil temptress, someone who had lured Zero over to the dark side, goaded him into accepting her blood, but she isn't like that at all. I can see it now, reflected in her eyes: the horror and sorrow that come with death.

Even a Level E, something that isn't human, nor really vampire anymore…even a creature like that, she could find some compassion for.

It was like opening the curtains on a sunny day after being confined to your room all winter, and I was struck by a thought that refused to remain unentertained: Yuuki must have given her blood to Zero because he'd been in pain and she'd wanted to help.

It was the only thing I could think of. The only other option, knowing what I did of her now, was that Zero had attacked her; that his will of steel, bowed and bent after all these years, had finally been broken by one single moment of weakness.

That option was a hard pill to swallow. If that was the case…then maybe Zero _did _deserve to hate himself. Maybe he _did_ deserve the sweet release of death

_Maybe I'll have to kill him after all…because if there's one thing I know about vampires, it's that once they get a taste for blood, there's no going back._

I'm struck by a second and no less important thought as Ichijou waxes mysterious about how we need to come to the Moon Dorm tonight: I'm jealous of Yuuki Cross. Jealous of the way Zero cuts an imposing figure beside her, daring the two aristocrats to even _consider_ trying him, trying to attack Yuuki. I'm jealous of how he's allowed her to do casual things, like holding his hand, dragging him by the sleeve down past vendors, and touching his shoulders. I'm jealous of the way he returns her touch with fierce protectiveness.

I'm not sure if it's the relationship that I'm jealous of, the casual intimacy of friends, of people who like each other, or if it's specifically Yuuki and her relationship with Zero, but I'm jealous all the same.

Ichijou and Shiki leave shortly after informing us of where we can find them tonight, and Yuuki mutely leads us back to the café so that Zero can collect the things he'd dropped during his mad rush to get away from the crowds. I'm still not entirely sure he'd been overcome with bloodlust so severe he'd felt the need to run off to the back alleys, but it's my best educated guess as to what had happened.

Yuuki ponders to herself as we make the trek back to the Academy. I wouldn't call myself close to her by any stretch of the word, but even I can tell that she plans to go to the Moon Dorm tonight. It doesn't take a degree in psychology to see it in the way she keeps chancing glances at Zero as if to determine whether or not she has to be the one to break it to him.

Zero must sense her impending decision, because his shoulders tense under pale blue fabric, and his hands clench on the items trapped in his embrace. But, despite it all, he says nothing. As I watch, the tension fades from his body and he _lets go_. He lets go of it… for _her_. He's already resigned to the knowledge that she's going to go whether or not he approves, and I can assume that this means Zero and I will be accompanying her there tonight as well.

"So," Yuuki finally breaks the silence as we approach the Academy, the gates looming before us, waiting to greet us with their twisted iron arms. "Your name is Suzume-chan?"

I wish she wouldn't add the -chan. No one has ever called me that in my life. My parents, my grandparents…they had been too used to the European ways, and they had only addressed me as "Suzume."

Zero had always erred on the side of rude and had barely called me "Suzume-san" once before immediately skipping to calling me solely by my first name, sans honorific. He had always been a little shit like that.

Ichiru had been the only one who called me "Suzume-chan."

Zero nearly chokes at the honorific, no doubt taken back to warm days spent drowning in sunshine and innocence. Days when I could hug him, and it would be normal.

Days I long for even still.

"Just 'Suzume'," Zero corrects her for me, not bothering to so much as glance in my direction. "No honorifics." He pauses as he regards her, as though realizing for the first time how weird and rude the request might be to someone who doesn't know me. "She's half-European," he adds almost reluctantly, like he's hesitant to reveal how well he knows me.

I tuck a piece of lavender-gray hair behind my ear and try and muster a smile up for Yuuki, try to show her that maybe I don't hate her after all. "Yes, just 'Suzume.' And you're Yuuki Cross, right?"

If she's surprised that I rarely use honorifics myself, or that I don't address her by her surname first, she doesn't show it. She just accepts it.

_Everything about her is so…so casual. So relaxed. Even when Zero and I are always so intense, so strict, she's just soft like this._

"That's right!" she says cheerfully, and I try not to wince at the pitch of her happiness. "Well, I'll see you two tomorrow in class, Zero-kun, Suzume," she says, hurriedly pulling at the gates. She smiles one last time over her shoulder at us, and then she's gone.

I don't even realize that Zero and I have stopped to watch her exit until he's turned to look at me.

"So, we both know that she's going to the Moon Dorm tonight and that we're going to have to meet her there, right?"

Zero huffs out a harsh facsimile of a laugh and starts toward the dorm.

I have to hurry to match his pace as he leads me to Cross' office, where we drop off whatever goodies he'd had us pick up in town. From there, it's a silent trip to our room, where Zero gracefully flops onto his bed, his left arm coming up to cover his eyes.

I'm a little concerned at first about homework and dinner, but then I realize that I hadn't bothered staying until the end of class and there's probably no food in the fridge. Instead I busy myself with putting away my clothes.

As promised, Cross had been in our room at some point to put away Zero's things. The evidence of his intrusion lingers long past his exit: some drawers aren't fully closed; Zero's desk chair is slightly askew; and, presumably unable to find another hanger, one of Zero's jackets rests on the back of the chair in our kitchenette.

"You should sleep some," Zero finally says after a drawn-out silence. "You need the rest."

My phone beeps with an incoming text message the second the kind words have left his mouth.

**From: Grandmother at 4:00 PM**

\- I made you some smoothies for the next few days

\- They're in the fridge

She'd been here? In our little apartment? Had she come to check on me and found me gone? Or had she been here to meet with Yagari or Cross all along? Been here to see how badly I was fucking this up without her?

I decide to ignore the message for now, and instead sulk over to the fridge. My throat is still raw and dry from coughing so much today, and nothing sounds better than a glass of water right now. Luckily the kitchen is stocked with tableware: neat stacks of plain white plates and bowls and shiny silver utensils line the drawers and cabinets. I retrieve a clean glass from the cupboard and fill it with water from the tap.

I lean back against the counter and regard him with a wry expression. "Rest won't help the fact that I'm dying."

"Tch," he half-laughs, half-scoffs, peering at me from beneath his arm. I can just barely glimpse chips of lilac hidden under the folds of his shirt. "Then who will tame me?"

My breath catches in my throat and I inhale my water. It goes down the wrong way and I end up coughing. "A-asshole," I manage to choke out before I'm wracked with another uncontrollable fit. This one sends me to my knees, and I fight not to drop my glass.

Noiselessly, Zero maneuvers across the room and takes it from me, placing it on the counter. "You need to breathe," he reminds me, his voice a soothing monotone.

I shake my head. "C-can't." I cough even harder, feeling lightheaded, feeling saliva pooling in my mouth. Oh God, please don't throw up, I really don't want to throw up right now—

Zero's hand lands on my shoulder and he leads me over to the bathroom as though sensing my dilemma. As I dry heave over the toilet, he gathers fistfuls of purple-gray hair in his hands. I shiver involuntarily as short nails scrape at my scalp and the nape of my neck, and then shiver again even more violently as I spit blood into the toilet. The taste of pennies slides unpleasantly over my tongue and finally causes me to lose my breakfast.

But Zero remains.

I'm cold and sweaty and pale by the time I'm finished. "Sorry," I mutter, but I don't have it in me to feel ashamed. I've been sick for too long to start feeling that way now. But this takes me back. Back to the days where this would have been normal, where him seeing me like this would be normal.

But these aren't those days.

So I break away from him with a soft, "I'm fine now." But I already miss the weight of his palm on my shoulder, the feeling of his fingers sliding through my hair.

"A year?" he finally asks, taking a seat down on his bed once more.

I head over to the fridge and retrieve one of my smoothies—they're about the only think I might be able to keep down right now. "At most," I reply, nonchalantly. At this point, I'm well-acquainted with the knowledge. I've had time to come to terms with the fact that I'm dying, and honestly, I'm okay with it. It's part of why I agreed so readily to this job—if I can make a difference—if I can save people from Zero or even Zero from himself—then—

"A year," he repeats, looking somber. He leans all the way back, resuming his former position with his elbow tucked over his face. "Hm."

* * *

So fun fact, this chapter originally had a different ending (and if you can guess what it was, I'll give you a prize) but I decided that I didn't want to reveal my hand quite so quickly. Keep an eye out for foreshadowing, because I promise you that you're going to get Chekov's gunned and not even know about it.

We also see Suzume reconcile some of her hatred for Yuuki! I wonder how long that will last...

And finally a little bit of fluff—well, as much fluff as these two will let me write about them, at any rate.

Again, please drop a review if you're liking these chapters! They really do go a long way to making me want to write this story, especially when I have other projects on my plate.


	6. Chapter 6

**Exsanguinate**

**Onesmartcookie78**

**Summary: **She's Zero's jailer, for all intents and purposes. Her job is to control him—but how can she when, lately, she can't even seem to control herself? Or: Kaien Cross probably should have called the Hunter's Association when Zero started to succumb to bloodlust rather than appointing Yuuki as his tamer. Zero/OC, Yuuki/Kaname

**Disclaimer:** I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters associated with the franchise. This work is purely fictional. Any events that parallel real life events or people are coincidental. I do, however, own my original characters, so don't steal them.

**A/N: **Thanks to everyone who has read this story! I would like to say that I know when I will update this story next, but I have no idea, so stay tuned. In the meantime, please leave me plenty of reviews and kudos-reviews really do determine what I decide to prioritize writing, so if you like this please, please review!

* * *

We meet Yuuki at the gate to the Moon Dorms.

At first, she thinks we're here to stop her, but Zero scoffs at the very idea; it's impossible to stop her. All he can do—all _we_ can do—is follow her and hope to protect her from whatever the night may bring.

"It's a pistol that I borrowed from the Headmaster," Zero is saying, holding up _The Bloody Rose_ for Yuuki's inspection. Like _Tod_, the pistol is an anti-vampire weapon. Should anything go wrong tonight, Zero and I will be forced to take deadly countermeasures.

Yuuki, of course, is offended by the very notion that anyone in the Night Class might try and attack her. She probably thinks that the very act of bringing the weapons is tantamount to using them, but I think Zero and I would just call it being safe. Vampires, themselves, are weapons; even without counting the special powers that purebloods and nobles possess, they still are faster and stronger than a human. As a Vampire Hunter, I myself am quicker and more powerful than a regular human, but I still can't compare to a vampire. Our weapons, therefore, are how we even the playing ground. It's why I bring _Tod _with me everywhere.

That, and I might have to use _Tod _on Zero.

But I'm wrong. Our stop to Kaien Cross' office wasn't so that we could defend Yuuki from the vampires.

"You've got it wrong," Zero says to her, snatching her hand in his own and pressing the gun into her grasp. "If I ever lose the 'human' part of me and go berserk," he says, peering deeply into her sienna eyes, "use this."

My gaze meets his over her shoulder and he nods at me once. I don't nod back.

"I could never do that!" Yuuki says in outrage, shoving the gun towards his chest.

"Besides," I hold up my hand to show off the bracelet dangling from my pale wrist, "if I need to stop you, I have this."

Zero shakes his head, as though he's disappointed in me, and I try not to deflate. "There will come a day when that spell is no longer effective," he points out, narrowing his eyes at me, trying to make me _understand_. "You know this, you saw that Level E today. That is eventually what I will become."

But I don't. Because for him, for my oldest and dearest friend, the answer can't just be _death_. Yuuki feels the same way. I know she does. I know she cares about him. But how can she and I help him when he's already given up on himself?

My hand falls to my side and I turn my gaze to my feet. "That's not true," I say, clenching my hands into fists. "You know it's not. If we can get you the blood of—"

Zero cuts me off. "I refuse," he says. "I refuse to live like that, to become…a _thing."_

"_You already are,"_ I say, though I might as well have shouted it based on the expression on his face. "And becoming a Level E and then being killed is worse."

He scoffs, shoving the gun at Yuuki and turning his full attention to me. For some reason, the act has my heart stopping and starting all at once. "I'd rather _die,"_ he says shortly, closing the distance between the two of us rapidly until my back is pressed flat against the gate. "Do you hear me, Suzume?" And my heart lurches when he says my name, when he presses a hand to the wall next to my head and leans in nice and close until I can't tell where he starts and I end, until I'm breathing his breath and all I can see is his lavender eyes and silver hair. "If those are my options, then _I choose death._"

"Okay!" Yuuki says, and from behind him, I can see her grip tighten on the gun. "If that's what you truly want…then I'll honor it. But only because I don't believe that day will ever come. Because I won't let it."

Zero shoves off me with a noise of disagreement.

"But you have to promise," Yuuki continues, "to keep fighting so that I never have to use this pistol."

And for her, he would do anything, because he bows his head and agrees.

* * *

The three of us cross the bridge in silence until two aristocrats come upon us. They explain that they're to be our escorts, and they lead us to the dorm entrance with surprisingly little fanfare, especially considering the blue-eyed one's flamboyance. I learn from Yuuki that their names are Aidou Hanabusa and Kain Akatsuki, though Aidou purrs that I can call him "Idol" and leers at me from his position at the back of our group.

I'm sorely tempted to stab him, but Zero's hand on my shoulder reminds me to resist.

As soon as we've crossed the bridge, it becomes clear that Ichijo Takuma has invited us to some kind of party, and if the crowds of vampires weren't enough, Ichijo explains, himself, that this is his birthday party. At Yuuki's prompting, he goes on to detail the different levels in vampire society, something I'm already overly familiar with. When he starts talking about how killing Level E's is a noble's job, Yuuki protests about our treatment of them, saying that they never chose to be vampires. And, while she's right in that, it also doesn't change the fact that the former humans _are_ now Level E's and need to be dealt with, one way or another.

"It's bad for everyone," I pipe up, and Ichijo gestures as if to tell me _go on_. I roll my eyes at the vampire; I don't need his permission to speak. "Purebloods are the ones with the power to create new vampires," I tell her. "Just a bite from any vampire won't do the trick. And, by not giving their blood to the new vampire in return, purebloods damn them to become Level E's. They police Level E's because it was they who created them, and because it's bad for their relations with the humans and with the Hunter's Association."

"Your friend is correct," comes a new voice from behind us, and when I turn, I see a man with similar coloring to Yuuki. Are they related? "I ordered it. I told Ichijo and Shiki to hunt down that Level E today."

"Kaname-san?" Yuuki asks.

I try not to let my surprise show. _This_ is Kaname Kuran?

"Suzume," I introduce myself shortly, and he bows his head to me respectfully. In return of his good manners, I do the same, ignoring the vampires around me (namely Aidou) who complain that I didn't offer them the same respect.

But when a pureblood shows you respect, no matter how much you hate them, you should respect them in return. My grandmother taught me that much.

"I had to see for myself," Yuuki explains. "That's why I'm here."

"Kiryuu-san, Yuuki-chan, Suzume-san," Kuran says each of our names in turn, "come here."

I exchange a look with Zero, but eventually follow Yuuki up to the dais. Once there, Kaname all but pulls Yuuki into his lap while Zero and I stand silently in the shadows.

"Centuries ago, in the annals of history, when the war between vampires and Vampire Hunters was at its height, many humans were transformed into vampires for 'military power'," Kaname tells Yuuki. "Ever since then, vampires who are ranked as nobles or higher have had the duty of overseeing the once-human vampires. On occasion, that means ending their lives."

"And we let them, to a certain degree," I say in return, catching Zero's elbow. Zero who wants to protest, Zero who wants to argue. I tip my head at Kaname. "The Vampire Council and Hunter's Association now work together to try and police the Level E's."

Zero shakes his head. "No. It's the duty of the Vampire Hunters to hunt vampires," he says stubbornly, ripping his arm out of my grasp.

"Not anymore," I argue at the same time that Kuran says, purposely inciting Zero, "Then why didn't you kill the Level E first?"

My hands clench on nothing and I catch Zero's shoulder and try to pull him away from Kuran and Yuuki on the settee, to no avail. I just know that this encounter is going to go south.

It doesn't take long to prove me right.

Kuran kisses Yuuki's arm where she was injured in the scuffle earlier today.

"Unless, Kiryuu," says Kuran into the crook of Yuuki's elbow, "you sympathized with him?"

Like clockwork, Zero snaps and pulls his gun, pointing it at Kuran's forehead, which of course causes Kuran's guard to level her hand at his neck as though she'll stab straight through it with her fingers and rip out his throat, which is actually possible now that I think about it.

I hastily force Zero to lower the gun, but it's Kuran who does the apologizing. "No, no," he insists, "it's my fault. I said something I shouldn't."

I want to snap "you think?" but I resist.

Aidou takes the lingering silence as invitation to ramble about how he only respects the school because of Kuran and how he'd love to kill Zero but he can't. I tune him out because he's so self-important that it's almost suffocating me. He strikes me as the kind of guy who loves the sound of his own voice, and I can't handle that right now. I need to handle Zero.

"Calm down or you'll get _me_ killed," I hiss, because that's the best threat that I can think of right now, because Kuran would surely protect Yuuki if he likes her that much, and Zero doesn't care about his own death.

Zero shoots me a sharp look in return that insinuates that he doesn't particularly care, but Yuuki is too busy learning for the first time that Kaname Kuran is a pureblood to care. I'm not entirely sure how this is coming as a surprise to her; even if I didn't know him by name, I could have guessed based on the way that all the other vampires defer to him.

I decide to ignore the two of them for now and focus on Zero, who's looking increasingly pale and sweaty.

I touch his elbow gently. "Are you okay?" I mutter under my breath, not wanting to attract too much attention, but he's too gone to care.

Within seconds of me asking, he bolts away from the party, leaving me to chase him once more. I try my hardest not to cough, not to _be weak_, but as I'm crossing the bridge, I have to take a break cough, and in that time span, Yuuki manages to pass me. And all I can think is "oh fuck" because Yuuki, a human girl with warm blood coursing through her veins, is chasing after Zero, a vampire who can't control himself.

Oh, fuck.


End file.
